Abstract
The judiciary plays a unique role in Canadian politics. Understanding the role and importance of gender in the judiciary helps to make visible this political role. This chapter provides a basic overview of the structure and role of Canada’s judicial branch. By considering the politics of judicial selection and its effects on gender diversity on the courts, this chapter will consider why a gendered and sexualised lens is important for understanding the politics of Canada’s judicial branch. Justice public policy, including the Court Challenges Program and Gender-Based Analysis (GBA) employed by the Department of Justice, is also considered.
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Notes
- 1.
The exception to this dual court system is Nunavut. Nunavut is the only jurisdiction in Canada that has a single level court (Nunavut Court of Justice), which hears all legal cases for the territory. The judges of the court are appointed by the federal government.
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Crandall, E. (2020). The Judiciary: Representation in Law and Justice Public Policy. In: Tremblay, M., Everitt, J. (eds) The Palgrave Handbook of Gender, Sexuality, and Canadian Politics. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-49240-3_12
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